Principles of Plant Culiurc. 



Watering recently-transplanted plants requires dis- 

 cretion. As a rule, mulching is preferable to watering, 

 but if mulching proves insufficient, watering is the last 

 resort. In this case, the soil about the roots should be 

 saturated with water and should not be permitted to 

 become dry again until growth starts. A hole may be 

 made in the soil about the roots and kept filled with 

 water until the liquid ceases to soak away rapidly, after 



which it should be occasionally filled 



until growth commences. 



414. Shading plants transplanted in 

 leaf, until the roots resume activity, is 

 important • (235). Evergreen trees and 

 shrubs may often be shaded with bar- 

 rels or boxes, or with boughs from other 

 evergreen trees. 



415. Tardy Starting into Growth 

 after transplanting is usually evidence 

 that the roots are not supplying suf- 

 ficient water. In such cases, if other 

 precautions have been observed, it is 

 well to further reduce the top. Plants 

 in this condition may sometimes be 

 saved by wrapping the stem in oiled or 

 rubber cloth to check loss of moisture, 

 or with straw or moss which may be 

 wet frequently till growth starts. 



The device shown in Fig. 149 often causes recently 

 planted trees to start growth that seem likely to fail 

 without it. It consists of a flask or bottle containing 

 distilled or rain water, supported a few feet above the 



Fig. 149. De- 

 vice for starting 

 growth 



in trees. 



